Apparatus for treating hydrocarbons



Aug. 114, 1923. 11,464,918

B. ANDREWS APPARATUS FOR TREATING HYDROCARBONS Filed Sept. 13 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 'Y MK (ms GZ/Zll/QZW Pam 0 5i V M )U Inventor I By Attorneys I B, ANDREWS APPARATUS FOR TREATING HYDROCARBONS Filed Sept. 13 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 C5 nventor W W By Attorneym WVMW Au M, 11923. 4 31,464,918

B. ANDREWS APPARATUS FOR TREATING 'HYDROCARBONS Filed Sept. 15 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Gas CiIHJLLlOi/ZLDQ Pump I I IIH IH'H'I'IIIIIIIIH' 111 mm? OM66 lnmmtor By Aftor qej Patented Aug, 14,

UNETED STATES BENJAMIN ANDREWS, 0F HOUSTON, TEXAS.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING HYDROCARBONS.

Application filed September 13, 1919. Serial No. 323,566.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, BENJAMIN ANnRnws, a citizen of the United States, residing in Houston, county of Harris, State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Tmprovements in Apparatus for Treating Hydrocarbons, of which the following is a description.

My invention relates to apparatus for converting heavy hydrocarbons int-o light hydrocarbons, such as gasoline, and particularly to apparatus for treating the vapors after they leave the cracking still and while still in a hot condition, in order to make the maximum yield of light high grade liquids and a minimum yield of fixed gases. More specifically the invention relates to a tower to which the vapors flowing from the cracking still, are conducted and in which they are treated, while still hot so as to retard and prevent the formation of fixed gases.

Tn practising my invention, any approved form of cracking still may be employed, but ll prefer to use the type of still described in Patent No. 1,312,467 heretofore granted jointly to myself and W. G. Averill, and I will describe the invention as used with such a still.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this invention, T have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention and have shown it connected and arranged for use with a still of the kind referred to.

Referring to the drawings,

Fi re 1 shows in vertical section an assemb y of the cracking still, one form of tower and a condenser;

Figure 2 is a detail view showing in enlarged vertical section, the tower shown in Fig. 1 together with an arrangement for repeatedly circulating the vapors through the tower; and

Figure 3 shows a modified form of tower.

Referring in detail to the apparatus illustrated in Figsgl and 2, the cracking still comprises the furnace 1, containing a plurality of cracking tubes 2, one only being shown in the drawing. These tubes rontain molten metal through Which the hydrocarbons, forced in through tubes 3, pass, all as described in said patent. The vapors flow from the still through a conduit 4: and pass, while still hot and in an active condition, into the tower 5. This tower 5, which has for its object the bringing of the hot vapors llltO intimate contact with hot hydrocarbon llqllld, comprises an outer shell 6, having a plurality of perforamd plates 7 spaced from each other and disposed throughout the upper portion of the tower. A central conduit 8 1s located so that its open lower end is dlsposed near the bottom of the tower, while 1ts upper end extends above a considerable number of the perforated plates 7. A pump 9, of any suitable type adapted to handle heated vapors, has its intake connected through pipe 10 with the top of the tower 5, while its delivery side is connected through pipe 11 with the lower end of the conduit 8 and the arrangement is such that the pump 9 operates to withdraw vapors from the top of the tower and deliver them into the bottom of the conduit 8. The tower is adapted to receive and hold in its lower portion, a body of hydrocarbon liquid, as at 12, and the vapors delivered into the bottom of the conduit 8 lighten the column of liquid in this conduit and cause it to rise with considerable velocity and pass through the upper end of the conduit 8 against the deflecting plate 13. The liquid then falls through the perforated plates in a finely divided state or shower and is thereby brought into intimate contact with the vapors in the tower. The pump 9 operates to repeatedly circulate the vapors through the tower, therebyinsuring a thorough contact of the vapor with theliquid. The result of this subjecting of the hot hydrocarbon vapor direct from the still to the hot liquid hydrocarbon, is to cause a considerable percentage of the hydrocarbons, which otherwise would pass through the apparatus and emerge as fixed gases, to be converted into light hydrocarbon vapors. The light hydrocarbon vapors, together with such small quantity of fixed gas as may be formed notwithstanding the treatment, pass into the condenser 14 and then through the tank 16 the fixed gas escaping through pressure valve a. The light liquid hydrocarbons accumulate in the tank 16 and are drawn oil through valve 17, while the gas is permitted to escape through the pipe 18. The contact plates 7 above the conduit 8 prevent liquid as such being carried out of the tower. They also become coated or covered with liquid and facilitate the securing of intimate contact of liquid and vapor.

It is to be understood that the tower 5 is operated so that its interior has a temperature which should be close to, but not quite so high as the temperature of the cracking tubes. The result of this is that the hydrocarbon liquid at 12 in the tower, is constantly increased by condensation and any excess may be, from time to time, carried .away through pipe 19. I have not given any exact figure for the temperature at which the tower should be operated, because this will depend on the character of the hydrocarbon undergoing treatment and other factors, and can readily be determined by experiment for any particular hydrocarbon or set of conditions.

The tower shown in Fig. 3 comprises a closed housing 6 arranged to receive the vapors from the still through pipe 4. The bottom of the tower is formed into a separate chamber 20 by the partition plate 19 and is partly filled with liquid hydrocarbon 12. This liquid is preferably derived from a partial and slight condensation of the vapors arriving through the pipe, 4:, and therefore accumulates and is drawn off as hereinafter described. The vapors fiowing into the chamber 20 as they accumulate force their way into the conduit 8 through small openings 8, carrying with them some of the liquid in the chamber 20. The

vapors and liquid rise through the conduit 8 and are discharged at its upper end where the liquid flows on the upper end of a perforated plate 22 coiled in the form of a spiral and disposed in the housing 23 contained in the main housing 6. The. liquid flows through the perforations 24; in the spiral from coil to coil-falling in the form of a finely divided shower until it reaches the bottom of the chamber at 25 where it accumulates. The liquid accumulating in chamber 25 forces its way into the lower chamber 20, through conduit 27. Chamber 20 in operation is under pressure due to vapors arriving through pipe at and this pressure normally causes the liquid in 20 to rise in conduit 8 part of the way to its top. The flow of vapor through the small holes 8 lightens the column and carries the liquid to the top and out of conduit 8. The valve 28 controlled by float 29 allows excess liquid to escape from the upper and lower chambers through pipe 19 when the level of the liquid in the upper chamber rises above a certain point. By disposing the stem 30 connecting valve 28 and float 29 in the conduit 27, I am able to dispense with stuffing boxes. The vapors carried up through the conduit 8 pursue a spiral course downward passing between the coils of the spiral plate so that they are brought repeatedly in contact with the liquid as it falls in a shower from coil to coil, the course of the vapor being indicated by the arrows. 'On reaching the lower end of the spiral, the vapors pass up between the wall of the housing 23 and the wall of the main housing 6 and then pass through the baffle plate members 31 which operate to dry the vapors and trap any entrained liquid. The vapors are then carrie'daway through the pipe 26 into the condensing apparatus, such as that described in connection with Fig. 1, or they may be returned through a pipe 10 tothe circulating pump 9 and to the tower, all as described in Fig. 1.

It will be seen that the tower of Fig. 3 embodies the same general mode of operation as that described in Figs. 1 and 2, differing principally in the detail means employed for securing the intimate subdivision of the liquid and the mixing of the liquid with the vapors.

While I have described onl two embodiments of my invention, am aware that changes may be made by those skilled in the art Without departing from the scope of my invention. In particular I am aware that in place of the detail arrangements in the towers there may be substituted other ar rangements adapted to perform the same function, i. e., to cause the hydrocarbon to fall as a finely divided shower and to insure an intimate contact of the vapors with the li uid.

aving now described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In apparatus of the kind described, a tower comprising a liquid elevating conduit having it lower end disposed in a body .of liquid in said tower, means for forcing the vapor to be treated into said conduit, near its lower end, and a member in said tower on which the liquid elevated through said conduit falls and which causes the liquid to fall in a finely divided state and thereby be brought into intimate contact with the vapors in the tower.

2. In'apparatus of the kind described, a tower for treating oil and gas, said tower having an inlet for oil, gas'and vapor, an outlet for oil and an outlet for vapor and gas, said tower comprising a liquid elevating conduit, having its lower end disposed in a body of liquid in said tower, means for delivering the vapor to be treated into the lower end of said conduit, and a spiralshaped perforated plate in said tower on the upper end of which the liquid elevated through said conduit falls and which causes the liquid to fall in a finely divided state and thereby be brought into intimate and repeated contact with the gas and vapor flowing between the turns of said spiral.

3. The combination of a tower, having an upper and a lower chamber, an inlet to said lower chamber, a conduit connecting said chambers and containing both gaseous and liquid hydrocarbon when in use, and vapor and liquid outlets from said upper chamber,

lid

and means for withdrawingvapor with gas from said upper chamber and forcing it into said lower chamber.

4. The combination of a tower having an upper and a lower chamber, said lower chamber having an inlet for gas, vapor and 'oil and an oil outlet, said upper chamber having a vapor and gas outlet, means whereby gas or vapor under pressure in said lower chamber raises oil into said upper chamber, and means in said upper chamber for intimately commingling oil with gas and vapor.

5. The combination of a tower having an upper and a lower chamber, said lower chamber having an inlet for gas, vapor, and oil and an oil outlet, said upper chamber having a vapor and gas outlet, means Wherebv gas or vapor under pressure in said lower chamber raises oil into said upper chamber, and means in said upper chamber for intimately commingling oil with gas and vapor, and means for withdrawing gas with vapor from said upper chamber and forcing them-into said lower chamber.

6. The combination of a tower having an upper and a lower chamber, said lower chamber having an inlet for gas, vapor, and oil and an oil outlet, said upper chamber having a vapor and gas outlet, means whereby gas or vapor under pressure in said lower chamber raises oil into said upper chamber, means in said upper chamber for intimately commingling oil with gas and vapor, means whereby the amount of liquid in the tower is maintained approximately constant, and means for withdrawing gas with vapor from said upper chamber and forcing them into said lower chamber.

7. In apparatus of the kind described, a

tower for treating oil and gas said tower having an inlet for oil, gas and vapor, an outlet for oil and an outlet for vapor and gas, said tower comprising a liquid elevating conduit, having its lower end disposed in a body of liquid in said tower, means for delivering the vapor to be treated into the lower end of said conduit, and a spiralshaped perforated plate in said tower on the upper end of which the liquid elevated through said conduit flows, and an openbottomed housing over and around said plate.

8. In apparatus of the kind described, a tower fortreating oil, vapor and gas, said tower having an inlet for liquid gas and vapor and an outlet for liquid and an outlet for vapor and gas and comprising a plate coiled in the form f a spiral and perforated and comprising a plurality of turns, and means whereby liquid oil and vapor may be caused to flow downwardly along and through said spiral plate.

BENJAMIN ANDREWS. 

